Busway installations consist of several pieces of bus duct that are connected together with bridge joints. Along the busways, serviceable busway plugs (also referred to as “serviceable plugs”) are provided to enclose electrical connections between the phases of a busway and downstream electrical equipment that draw power from the busway phases. The serviceable plug often incorporates additional protection devices, primarily of the fusible or breaker variety. This allows for additional protection and control of downstream equipment. Serviceable busway plugs allow for end users to make connections inside of the busway plug housing, to customize the wiring.
Serviceable busway plugs are typically made of metal, and contain no windows. Thus, they prevent a user from easily observing the connections contained within the serviceable plug. To safely observe the connections, for diagnostic or other purposes, a user must typically shut down power to the entire busway, all of the end devices powered through the busway plug in question (and often those adjacent on the same busway), don a protective suit, and then open the busway plug. This process is inefficient because it requires a user to shut down all equipment prior to opening the serviceable busway plug, leading to downtime.
The structure of busway plugs is strictly regulated by standards-setting organizations within the electrical power distribution industry. No approved serviceable busway plugs on the market include a window on a main body thereof, because the inclusion of windows typically reduces the strength of the plug. A need exists for a serviceable plug that allows observation of the connections contained within the serviceable plug, while providing sufficient structural integrity.